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BRIEF SKETCH 

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COMMODORE SAMUEL TUCKER. 



DESCRIPTION 

OF THE 

NEW MASONIC TEMPLE, 

BOSTON. 



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BRIEF SKETCH 



COMMODORE SAMUEL TUCKER. 



BY 



JOHN H. SHEPPABD, A.M., 

Author of the " Life of Samuel Tucker, Commodore in the American Revolution. 



Reprinted from the New-England Historical and Genealogical Register for April, 1872. 



BOSTON: 

PRINTED BY DAVID CLAPP & SON, 
1872. 






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COMMODORE SAMUEL TUCKER. 






Samuel Tucker was born in Marblehead, Mass., Nov. 1, 1747, as appears 
on a leaf in the old family bible, and was christened in the First Church of 
Christ in Marblehead, Nov. 8th, of the same year, according to the record 
of said church. He was the third child of* Andrew, and Mary Tucker, who 
had eight children, viz. : Andrew, Mary, Samuel, William, Nathaniel and 
Elizabeth, twins, and Sarah. 

Andrew Tucker, his father, according to tradition, was one of three 
brothers, who emigrated together from Dundee, Scotland, when young men, 
one of whom settled in South Carolina, one in Virginia, and one, Andrew, 
in Marblehead ; but this tradition is probably incorrect, as there was an 
Andrew Tucker at Marblehead as early as 1GG3. His mother's maiden 
name was Mary Belcher, — an English lady, handsome, fashionable and of a 
refined education. She was fond of social life. Her figure was tall and 
majestic, and from her style of dress, stately appearance, and winning 
manners, she was called " The Lady Mary." This maternal gaiety 
descended to Samuel, as a precious heirloom, which he cherished during a 
long life. 

His father followed the sea ; was a skilful shipmaster, and much respected. 
Before the revolution, he was in affluent circumstances and lived in style. 
The house which he built more than a hundred years ago, on Bowland Hill, 
near the bay in Marblehead, is still standing, changed from a gable roof to 
the modern fashion. He is said to have laid out much cost on this building, 
and decorated his rooms with rich paper-hangings imported from France. 
1 



Here the writer saw some fragments of this paper, thick as cloth and figured 
with vermilion and black stripes. This house must have been stylish in its 
day, and is still a substantial and convenient tenement. 

Of the boyhood and education of Samuel, we only know that at an early 
period he was sent to school, and was well grounded in reading, writing and 
arithmetic. His father seeing that he was a bright boy and apt to learn, 
wished to send him to college, but the youth had no taste for the groves of 
the academy : his element was the sea, and to so great a degree was his 
soul kindled by the songs and stories of the Marblehead mariners, who 
seemed like* descendants of the ancient sea-kings, that at eleven years of 
age he ran away and embarked on board of the Royal George, an English 
sloop-of-war, which was bound on a cruise to Louisbourg. He was afterward 
apprenticed to the captain by his forgiving and prudent father. It was there 
he acquired much nautical knowledge, and became acquainted with British 
signals, — a source of great value to him in his future career. 

At seventeen, he enlisted as second mate on board of a vessel from Salem, 
of which his brother was first mate. When she was within a few hours' sail 
of Lisbon, she was pursued by two Algerine corsairs. The captain was 
frightened, as he gazed at them from the companion way ; and to quiet his 
fears he retreated to his bottle, and hid himself in the cabin. Samuel's 
brother was at the helm, and becoming also alarmed, gave it up to our young 
hero, who, as night was approaching, boldly sailed toward the pirates, as in 
token of surrendering. Darkness came on, he put out the lights, crowded 
Sail, and in the morning arrived safely in Lisbon. The base captain, 
ashamed of his cowardice, put Samuel out of sight on board an English 
frigate ; but the story of this daring escape, it is said, got wind, and Samuel 
was then promoted to the berth of midshipman. How long he continued 
in this frigate, is unknown, — probably for a short period; for he was after- 
ward mate of a vessel in the merchant service, and subsequently master of 
a ship. 

He was married Dec. 21, 1768, soon after he became of age. His wife 
was Mary, daughter of Samuel and Ann Gatchell, of Marblehead. Mr. 
■lull wis deacon of the Congregational Church of that place, — a worthy 
and estimable man. On his marriage, ('apt. Tucker took part of his father- 
in-law's house, which was a double one, and afterward moved to his father's 
on Rowland Hill, in order to take care of him, now old and a victim of 
disease. The latter who had been unfortunate, and was now reduced in 



property, must have died during the war with England, as the son refers in a 
future letter to taking care of his mother, " who had no other to look up to 
for either succor or aid in the least, during more than thirty years." This 
venerable widow died in Bristol, Maine, at her son's house, in 1808, over 
ninety-one years old, — an example of maternal love and filial affection ever 
sacred and ever honorable. She is said to have been a woman of strong 
and superior mind. 

In 1774, he commanded the brig Young Phenix, on a voyage to Bilboa, 
Spain, where amidst breakers and great peril he saved the vessel. But we 
must pass over his voyages and accompany him to London when the revolu- 
tionary war was breaking out. He was there urged by a recruiter to enlist 
as an officer in the king's service, and in his haste he cursed "his most gracious 
majesty." This hard-shelled patriotism exposed him to trouble and danger 
of imprisonment, and he was obliged to leave London secretly, and making 
his escape by the aid of friends, he obtained a passage in a ship belonging 
to the celebrated financier and patriot, Robert Morris, of Philadelphia. On 
the voyage a furious storm arose, and the preservation of the ship was due 
to the skill and coolness of Capt. Tucker. This incident made Mr. Morris 
an efficient and permanent friend, who was instrumental in procuring the 
notice and patronage of Gen. Washington for the brave seaman. From his 
tent at Cambridge the General sent him a commission as csjptain of the 
armed schooner Franklyn. It was dated Jan. 20, 177G. This was one of 
the earliest commissions issued by the commander-in-chief on the formation 
of an infant navy. Capt. Tucker was then at home in Marblehead, and his 
interview with the officer who announced to him the honor, has come down 
to us as a tradition, well authenticated and full of humor. His armed vessel 
lay at Beverly, and the next day Tucker was on board of her and scouring 
the seas. 

He made several cruises in the Franklyn, and was so successful in taking 
prizes as to receive the thanks of Gen. Washington. His patriotic wife 
made the banner under which he fought ; the field of which was white, 
with the figure of a pine tree in green. He captured the ship George, 
laden with troops and munitions of war. In the spring of 1776 he was 
transferred to the command of the armed schooner Hancock, in which he 
also made many captures. There is an interesting account of one capture 
in the summer of that year, which occurred in the vicinity of Marblehead, 
when his wife and sister stood on the top of a lofty hill in that place and 



<; 



saw through a glass the smoky encounter, heard the roar of the artillery 
and witnessed the arrival of the prize in the harbor. The captures in 177G 
were very numerous and annoying to the enemy. An English work, the 
" Remembrancer," speaks of 342 vessels captured ; of this vast number, Capt. 
Tucker took very many. In his life-time he had a complete list of them, 
but it was lent and lost. 

Such were his services and success that, on the 15th day of March, 1777, 
he was appointed by congress commander of the frigate Boston, by a com- 
mission, bearing the signature of John Hancock, president. In this ship he 
took several prizes. On one occasion the encounter was very bloody ; for 
he boarded the enemy and lost the brave Magee, his lieutenant, who headed 
the marines and fell a sacrifice. Having a presentiment of his fate, this 
intrepid officer handed to Capt. Tucker, just before the attack, a ring, watch 
ami miniature to be sent, if he were slain, to his only sister. 

Command of the frigates and armed vessels was frequently changed ; but 
on the 27th of December, 1777, Capt. Tucker again was appointed master 
of the frigate Boston; and, Feb. 10, 1778, he was ordered to convey the 
Hon. John Adams as envoy to France. He was authorized to fit her out 
for this purpose at his own discretion ; and consequently he supplied her 
with additional spars and canvass, which it was said, were of peculiar and 
original construction, having reference to swift sailing. As the object of 
Mr. Adams's mission was important, it was so well known to the enemy that 
a British seventy-four and two frigates at Newport had been watching the 
motions of the Boston and tin; time of her departure. To escape a force so 
formidable and avoid the numerous men-of-war which infested the track 
across the Atlantic to France, Capt. Tucker had been selected to the com- 
mand on account of his nautical skill and well-known intrepidity. So great 
was the confidence of 'Mr. Adams in this naval oilicer, that he committed 
nor only himself, hut his young son, the since celebrated John Quincy Adams, 
then eleven years old, to his charge. 

On the 17th of February, 177s, at seven o'clock in the afternoon, Capt. 
Tucker weighed anchor at Nantasket Roads, and went to sea with colors 
Hying, firing a salute of seven guns on the occasion. 

The log-book of this momentous voyage is preserved, and has furnished 
material for an accurate account of this era of his life. It begins with 
these words in his own handwriting: " Pray God, conduct me safe to France 
and send me a prosperous cruise." It was a sweet memorial of the care 



and influence of a pious mother, who thirty years before had offered, in 
baptism, her infant Samuel to the protection and guidance of the Almighty. 
On the 19th of February, at 6 P.M., he saw in the east three large ships 
of the enemy and hauled his wind to the south. He then, on consultation 
with Mr. Adams and his officers, wore ship and run an hour to the north- 
ward, and saw two of these ships under his lee with short sail, — one ship of 
20 guns, the other as large as his own; the third was far off. Imme- 
diately the man at mast-head cried out that there was a ship on the weather 
quarter. Though continually exposed to these frigates, he avoided them by 
frequent changes of his course, — sometimes approaching them, and sometimes 
distancing them, till they were diminished to the view as a mere speck. 
Thus he made his escape, till a furious storm arose, which drove them out of 
sight, and left him to fight a terrible battle with the winds and waves. The 
storm was gathering at 10 P.M., on the 21st, and at twelve miduight, it blew 
a tempest. The thunder drowned the roaring of the waves. The lightning 
struck the mainmast and topmast, wounding three men, and knocking down 
several others. Capt. Tucker remarks in his journal : " We were in great 
danger, the sea very cross and high." Heavy rains came on, and they were 
obliged to scud before the wind. They were in north latitude 38° 33', and 
longtitude, west, 60° 30'. The scene on board the ship at this time must 
have been terrific. In the noon of night, in the " dead of darkness," — to 
borrow a similitude from the awful imagery of Prospero in the Tempest, — 
the rattling of ropes and crackling of timbers and spars ; the dread roar of 
the angry winds ; the gleaming sheets of fire, at times flashing over the sea 
and sky ; the sight of three wounded sailors and the fall of others by a stroke 
of lightning ; the tall masts trembling beneath the blast ; and, add to all this, 
the dismal echo from the pumps that there was water in the hold : these 
were enough to appal the boldest veteran that ever faced the cannon's 
mouth in battle. Well might the captain in his distress, alarmed for his 
anxious passengers and crew, — while before him and around him a terrible 
storm of rain, thunder and lightning threatened every moment to sink him 
and them, — well might he, in such a mass of sorrows, pour forth that short 
and simple prayer from his heart, which stands recorded in his journal of 
that day : " Pray God protect us and carry us through our various troubles." 
Gladly must every serious mind contemplate such a precious example of 
faith, uttered by one of the noblest seamen of the revolution. What must 
have been the sufferings of that man at that dark hour, when he thought of 



home, of his family, and of his bleeding country struggling with the mightiest 
nation on the globe, and then beheld the grand mission on the very verge 
of destruction ! for it seemed as though the artillery of heaven was pointed 
against him. 

Yet, when we gaze in imagination at this awful picture, and summon up 
the scene to our view through a vista of nearly a hundred years, as we sit 
by our cheerful firesides in this happy land, there seems to be a moral 
grandeur and sublimity in this event. We see the dark outline of his stalwart 
form on the deck of the frigate, — at spells illuminated by a blaze of light- 
ning, — erect and commanding, and hear him issuing his orders to the intrepid 
seamen with a voice rising above the tempest. He alone is calm and col- 
lected, like JEneas of old, 

Curisque ingentibus seger, 

concealing his deep anxieties, peering through the black clouds for one 
ray of light, and cheering his brave companions with hope of weathering 
the storm ; while near him stands the sturdy patriot of Braintree, ready to 
cry aloud : " This is the Hand of God, stretched out to shield us from the 
enemy." 

"We could never look on the face of one of those heroic men, who fought 
in the armies of the revolution, or gained renown in the navy, without 
sensibility. The warm emanations of gratitude were excited. In these 
survivors of '76 we saw the vestiges of a race of patriots in whose hearts 
the vestal fire of freedom burned with an undying flame. They belonged 
to an immortal band, — a Theban phalanx, — which Providence had raised 
up to lay the foundation of a republic, which now stretches across a vast 
continent. 

The storm and boisterous weather held on for several days, and a squall 
on the 24th of February carried the main-top-mast over. " Thanks to God," 
wrote Tucker, "no man was lost or wounded." After twenty-two days of 
exposure to such tempestuous weather, and, with skilful manoeuvring to avoid 
the prowling enemy, they reached lat. 44°, and long. 10° west, and on the 
11th of March, they saw a distant ship on the south east, standing west, and 
soon discovered she was armed. Capt. Tucker, having consulted with Mr. 
Adams, wlin favored his views, immediately shook out a reef in his topsail 
and gave chase. 

•• What should you do," said Mr. Adams to him one day, when three ships 



9 



were pursuing him, -"if you could not escape and they should all attack 
you?" lie replied: "As the first would be far in advance of the others, I 
would carry her by boarding, and would myself head the boarders. I should 
take her, for no doubt a majority of her crew, being pressed men, would 
turn and join me. Having taken her, I should be matched, and could fight 
the other two." 

A gentleman related these facts to the writer, as he heard them directly 
from Mr. Adams himself a few months before his decease. The venerable 
patriot was at the time in his mansion in Quincy, sitting by the fireside. 
Something appertaining to the bravery of Com. Tucker, coming up in their 
conversation, drew out several anecdotes of the naval hero. Mr. Adams 
described the voyage to France ; the escape of the Boston from three 
English privateers ; the terrible storm, and the particulars of the capture. 
As soon as they perceived she was an armed vessel, Capt. Tucker, after 
consultation, prepared for action and boldly sailed up to her. The drum 
beat to arms, and in the mean time Mr. Adams seized a musket and 
joined the marines, standing by a gun ready for battle. The captain 
stepped up to him, put his hand on his shoulder, and in a voice of authority 
said : " Mr. Adams, I am commanded by the continental congress to 
deliver you safe in France, and you must go down below, Sir." Mr. 
Adams smiled, and went down into the cabin. Tucker, by this time, had 
contrived to get his frigate into the position he wished. His guns were all 
shotted ; each man was at his post, the match-stocks smoking ; and yet he 
hesitated to give order to fire. At this delay his men grew impatient, and 
seeing so fine a chance to strike a decisive blow, they began to murmur 
bitterly, when he cried out in these memorable words : " Hold on, my men. 
I wish to save that egg without breaking the shell." Nor were they com- 
pelled to hold on long ; for the enemy seeing at once the advantage he had 
gained, and that his own chance of conquest or escape was desperate, 
immediately struck his colors. 

The authenticity of this account of the capture of the Martha is unques- 
tionable, though it may differ in some particulars from that of some others 
which have been published. The narrative of the conversation with Mr. 
Adams, did not refer to a broadside fired by the Martha ; but Capt. Tucker 
in his lifetime remarked that she had fired three guns. One statement of 
this capture appeared in print, wherein it was said that the enemy discharged 
a broadside as the Boston approached, and shivered off a piece of the mizen 

9 



LO 

yard, which in falling, struck Capt. Tucker on the head, and knocked him 
down ; but that he quickly recovered from the stunning blow and resumed 
his command. This is in part confirmed by a letter he wrote to the navy 
committee of the eastern department, dated March 11, 1778 ; and he there 
states that the enemy, discovering that he hoisted his colors, "bore away, 
firing a broadside, which carried away my mizen-yard and did no other 
damage." And further, the captain of the Martha said: "he did not think 
himself able to get his colors down soon enough;" for, says Capt. Tucker, 
"he was horribly scared." The prize ship, Capt. MTntosh, bound from 
London to New- York, with a valuable cargo, was sent to Boston under two 
officers, Mr. Barron and Mr. Reed; but was recaptured by the enemy. 

On the 17th of May, he weighed anchor, saluting the Castle of Bordeaux 
as he passed. He joined a fleet of Frenchmen, in company with the cele- 
brated Paul Jones, who was then cruising with a brig of 10 guns. During 
June, he cruised among the beautiful islands in the Bay of Biscay, captured 
the John and Rebecca, a Scotch brig, the brig Britannia, the Elizabeth and 
others. With the ship of war Ranger, Capt. Simpson, he united with the 
Providence under Com. Whipple. In September, this squadron began to 
sail homeward, took several prizes on their cruise, and Oct. 15, all three 
arrived safe in Portsmouth. 

There is an anecdote in the correspondence of John Adams (vol. x. pp. 
26—27), where Mr. Adams speaks of the remarks of ("apt. MTntosh, com- 
mander of the prize ship Martha, while he was a prisoner. The captain 
was curious to examine tbe frigate, and Tucker allowed him to see every 
part of her. lie frequently expressed to Mr. Adams bis astonishment; he 
had never seen a completer ship. "However," he added, "you are a rising 
country of the world, and if you send to sea such ships as this, you will be 
able to do great things." 

Judge Sprague, laic justice of the district court of the United States, in a 
splendid eulogy, at Hallowell, Me., on Adams and Jeffei'son, July 26, 1826, 
says: " The public ship, on board which lie embarked, was commanded by 
the gallan! Commodore Tucker, now living and a citizen of litis state, who 
took more guns from the enemy, during the revolutionary war, than any 
other naval commander, and who lias been far Less known and rewarded 
than bis merits deserve." 

In 1779, he joined the Masonic Fraternity. During that summer, the 
Deane, Capt. Nicholson, and the Boston, Capt. Tucker, weut to sea in com- 



11 



pany. They took many prizes, and returned Sept. 18, after a successful cruise. 
There is a letter among his papers, from John Paine, Esq., late of 
Thomaston, Maine, referring to one terrific fight in which Tucker captured 
an armed -vessel. The scene of the conflict was appalling. It was in the 
dead of night. The dashing of the waves, the gleaming and thunder of the 
artillery, and the uncertainty and horror of an engagement hetween two 
hostile war ships in darkness or only the glimmering of star-light, were 
enough to make the stoutest heart tremble. That he did fight such a battle, 
there can be no doubt ; but neither the time, the name of the ship he com- 
manded, nor the name of the prize, can now be summoned from oblivion in 
the silent grave where he lies, by any spirit or table-mover. 

The various prizes he took, excited much admiration in the papers of the 
day. The Sandwich packet. — the privateer Glencairn 20 and Thorn' 18 
guns, — were among his valuable captures. 

After diis return from this cruise, the Boston frigate, Capt. Tucker, and 
Confederacy, 02 guns, Capt. Harding, were sent out to intercept the British 
cruisers and convoy the Eustatia fleet of merchantmen, with supplies of 
clothing from Holland to the American army ; and notwithstanding the 
frigates of the enemy hovered about the fleet like eagles after their prey, 
he conducted them unharmed to Philadelphia. 

It was on this cruise of June, 1779, that he accpiired the title of commo- 
dore, lie was directed to proceed, in company with the Deane, Capt. 
Nicholson, who being a junior captain, Tucker took by usage and custom the 
command with that title. 

Our space will not allow a description of the battles he fought in taking 
some of his prizes. But, one was so remarkable it deserves a brief notice 
in this sketch. On his cruise with Capt. Nicholson, the report of his bravery 
had reached New- York, and excited much talk among the officers of the 
British navy who were there. They fitted out a frigate to take him. The 
news reached Tucker ; and in a few days he saw the English ship of war 
in the distance and knew her well. He then hoisted English colors, and as 
the two vessels approached each other within hailing distance, the British 
captain hailed him with "What ship is that?" "Capt. Gordon's," said the 
Commodore ; for Capt. Gordon commanded an English ship, modelled and 
built much like the Boston, and had taken many prizes. " Where are you 
from ? " " From New York," said Tucker. " When did you leave ? " 
" About four days ago." " I am after the Boston frigate, to take that rebel 



12 

Tucker, and am bound to carry him dead or alive to New York," said the 
captain; "have you seen him?" Tucker rejoined, "Well, I have heard of 
him: they say he is a bad customer." 

In the meantime, Com. Tucker was manoeuvring to bring his ship into a 
raking position, so as to sweep the decks of the English frigate. He had 
every man at his post, his guns shotted, his gunners stationed with lighted 
matches in their hands, and all waiting orders of the commander. There 
was a man in the maintop of the enemy's frigate, who had formerly known 
the Commodore, and he cried out to his captain, "That is surely Tucker; 
we shall have a hell-smell directly." 

Tucker, having got his ship in a raking position, ordered the American 
flag to be hoisted; and then said in a voice of thunder to the British captain, 
"The time I proposed talking with you has ended. This is the Boston 
frigate, — I am Samuel Tucker, but no rebel. Either fire or strike your flag." 
Seeing the advantage his adversary had, he struck his flag. Not a gun was 
fired. Ex-Pres. John Adams, June 13, 1779, says: "Tucker has sent in a 
twenty-four gun ship this afternoon, which did not lire a shot at him before 
striking. It is at the Capes, with the Confederacy, one of the finest in any 
service, as it is said by foreigners." It was the frigate Pool. Among the 
papers of the deceased there is an enumeration of his captures of the Boyd, 
Pool, Patsey, Tryall, Flying Fish, Adventure and Thorn, most of them 
armed, the last a privateer. 

In September, L779, Com. "Tucker was ordered to the defence of Charles- 
ton, S. C. The squadron consisted of the Providence, Com. Whipple ; the 
Boston, Capt. Tucker; the Queen of France. Capt. Rathbone; and the 
Banger, Capt. Simpson. They arrived there shortly before Christmas. On 
the invasion by Sir Henry Clinton at the head of a large body of troops, and 
a powerful fleet under Admiral Arbuthnot, the city was compelled to sur- 
render, after a siige of thirty days, to an overwhelming force: but the little 
squadron, before it fell into the hands of the enemy, formed a retreat up the 
river, and did essential service; for no small part of the heavy guns, which 
bristled on the ramparts, was supplied from Com. Whipple's squadron, 
manned by his marines and directed by his officers. This fact is unnoticed 
by Mr. Simms in his "history of South Carolina, and seems to have escaped the 
notice of 3Ir. Lossing in his Pictorial Field Honk, so deservedly a favorite 
of the public. 

When a special order came from the Admiral to the commander of the 



13 



Boston frigate to strike his flag, Tucker replied, " I do not think much of 
striking my flag to your present force; for I have struck more of your flags 
than are now flying in this harbor." 

The 2Gth of June, 1780, he acrived in Boston on parole; but he was soon 
exchanged for Capt. William Wardlow, whose sloop-of-war, Thorn, he had 
captured a year ago. He asked the command of her from the Navy Board ? 
and it was granted him. In 1780 and '81 he made a number of cruises in 
her, and captured a great many prizes. Among his men was Josiah Everett, 
who had served on Dorchester Heights, was in the battle of Saratoga, and 
died in New-Portland, Me., some years ago. Shortly before his death he 
gave a glowing detail of a sanguinary battle between the Thorn and the Lord 
Hyde. The description is in the Life of Com. Tuclcer. So terrible was 
the conflict, that Tucker, tho' victorious, looking round on the dead and 
wounded, and on the clots of blood on the deck, cried out, " Would to God 
I had never seen her!" There was also a severe battle with the Elizabeth, 
a 20 gun ship, in which the English captain, Timothy Pine, was mortally 
wounded. 

Prosperity, however, will not last forever. His little, triumphant Thorn, — 
indeed, for a time, a thorn to the British lion, like the sword-fish to the whale, 
— was at last captured near the mouth of the St. Lawrence by the British 
frigate, Hind, and the prisoners were landed on the island of St. John's ; 
from whence, with Dr. Ramsay and a few others, Com. Tucker made his 
escape in an open boat, crossed the bay of Massachusetts, and arrived in 
Boston in the middle of August, 1781. There was some complaint 
afterward about his breaking his parole, which was subsequently healed. 
Peace followed within a year and a half, during which time, though in the 
public service and liable at all times to do duty, it does not appear that he 
was ordered to the command of any ship of war. 

In the beginning of 1780 he had removed his family to Boston, where he 
purchased a brick three-story house with a cupola and front yard in Fleet 
street, — then the fashionable and court-end of the town, — on the southern 
side near Hanover street. Numerous prizes had made him rich. Not far 
from the west side, stood the large and spacious domicile of Gov. Hutchinson, 
with a garden full of fruit trees. His widowed daughter, Mrs. Hinds, the 
mother of Col. Hinds, of Bremen, Me., resided with him, and the Colonel 
often heard his mother remark that sitting on the Sabbath, at the open 
window, on the western side, she frequently listened to the preaching of the 



1 1 



Rev. John Murray, in his church in Hanover street, as there was no building 
then on the corner to intercept the voice. On the other side of Fleet street, 
opposite his house, there was a large man-ion. where several naval ollicers 
had their lodgings. All these buildings have vanished under the march of 
improvement. 

As he was deemed a man of wealth, he associated with the first society 
of Boston; for riches, then as now, always opened the doors of hospitality in 
this place. He was polite, genial and popular, and indeed too generous for 
his own good. His personal appearance in the mid-day of life was striking, 
— of more than- average height, bright complexion, line features, and with 
deep blue eyes, which, when animated, seemed to grow dark and piercing, 
lie was stout, with a very broad chest, and usually wore the brilliant dress 
of a naval commander, — a blue coat with lapelles, scarlet vest and dark-blue 
small-clothes; as one of his old friends described his costume to the writer, 
and as agreeing with the account by Mrs. Elizabeth Perkins, who died in 
Boston in 1853, aged 99, — a niece of the eminent Samuel Adams. She 
remarked to the writer, " The Commodore kept open doors, was hospitable 
and fond of company and of gladsome spirits." She said, "he was a goodly 
man to look upon, so handsome, so animated, — I often danced with him in 
the minuet, and we girls were after him as a partner, his foot was so light 
on the floor. Commodore Tucker was truly a noble man." 

From his expensive habits of living, and reckless loans in lending without 
security, he soon wasted his fortune and was reduced to narrow circumstances. 
In August, 1786, he left Boston and returned to Marblehead, where he 
purchased two-thirds of the Gatchell Mills and grainery, situated near the 
confines of Salem. But it was in vain our hero tried to support a family 
accustomed to style and extravagance by grinding of corn. He probably 
thought this was only a temporary resource; for hearing that some revenue 
cutters were to be buill by the government, he applied to Mr. Alexander 
Hamilton, secretary of the treasury, for the command of one. The reply 
to his petition for this humble office was. in the words of Hamilton, "it is 
too hilr;" others had secured the prize. He had repeatedly petitioned 

( gress for payment of his arrears in the naval service, and he was unsuc- 
cessful; because, — can posterity believe that an omnipotent legislature could 
resort to such an infamous defence r — because his claims were outlawed! It 
was too late! 

Disappointed, mortified, unfortunate, and now poor, with his wife and 



i;» 



venerable mother and children, he sold his grist-mill, and emigrated to Maine, 
where he settled down on a wild, rough farm in a small, old house at Bristol 
(now Bremen), near Muscongus harbor, and within sight of the blue 
mountains of Camden, there to labor with his hands, and pass through 
deprivations for thirty years. There he lived, industrious and respected. 
Year after year he was chosen a selectman, four times sent to the Massachu- 
setts general court, and after Maine became a state, twice to her legislature. 

In his official visit to Boston in 1816, as a representative, many old 
acquaintances called upon the noble veteran. His kind and illustrious friend 
Ex-Pres. Adams received him at his mansion in Quincy with much 
cordiality. 

His numerous applications to congress, either to pay the arrears justly 
due him, or allow him a pension, is a history of injustice and of the proverbial 
ingratitude of republics. Seven times, at different sessions of congress, were 
his petitions for relief presented by influential members, viz.: in 1790, 1800, 
1806, 1812, 1816, and 1820, — and in 1821, when Hon. Mr. Walker, of 
Georgia, offered in his favor a most able report in the senate, stating that 
justice and gratitude unite " in his call upon government." On which the 
senate passed a bill for his half-pay as captain ; but the house of representa- 
tives rejected it by a majority of one. In June, 1832, a general act was 
passed, and a pension of $600 a year was settled on him. 

On the 20th of December, 1820, the electoral college appointed him, 
being one of their number, a special messenger* to carry on to Washington 
the votes for president and vice-president. 

When he first appeared in the house of representatives among the stran- 
gers who stood outside the bar, his commanding figure, naval dress and 
silvery locks excited much attention. It was soon whispered about, that 
Com. Tucker, one of the very few surviving naval officers of the revolution, 
was there ; and all eyes were fixed upon him. Was it not a moment, even 
to the great men in the congress, of sublime recollections of American his- 
tory ? And did not his position at that time remind them of a more exalted 
personage before the queen and nobles of Carthage, as he stood alone in his 
glory ? 

" Restitit .Eneas, claraque, in luce refulsit." 

There.were many in that august assembly, fifty years ago, who had heard 
of the man. his bravery, his nautical skill, his battles and success on the 



16 



ocean, while his deeds were yet fresh in the minds of the older members. 
It was quickly reported in the Capitol that there- was one among them, who 
had taken from the enemy sixty-two sail of vessels, more than 600 pieces 
of cannon, and 3000 prisoners in the revolutionary war. Let. not the writer 
of this sketch be thought to exaggerate. Such was the averment in the 
National Intelligencer of Dec. 16, 1820. The Hon. Mark L. Hill was 
about to move that Com. Tucker be admitted on the floor, when, upon 
examination, it was found that soon after the revolutionary war, congress 
had passed an unanimous vote of thanks to him for services rendered and 
according to usage he was admitted. 

In this brief account, many exciting events and particulars of his sea-fights 
have been reluctantly passed over, for they form part and parcel of his life 
on the ocean. Nor is there space mure than to allude to the important lead 
he took in favor of law and order, when Maine was on the verge of a civil 
war between tenants and proprietors, in what was called the "Squatter 
Insurrection." It was terminated in the wisdom of the legislature by buying 
the rights of the proprietors and quieting the tenants by a satisfactory and 
equitable provision. 

And we can but touch on the last naval exploit of the venerable Com- 
modore in the war of 1812 with England. With forty-four daring young 
men, who had armed a wood coaster, he captured a British armed vessel, 
and brought her safely to port. But, is there not a record of this in his 
Life, before alluded to? Such was our noble patriot, to whom Mr. Hamilton 
wrote, that it was too late to give him the command of a revenue cutter; but 
this meritorious officer, even in his old age, proved that it was never too late 
to defend Ms country ! 

After his pension as captain was granted, the aged veteran lived not . 
many months. It should be remarked that he had received a small pension 
under the pension law of L816, and in 1820 he built a house where his 
old one stood, more convenient and suitable to his rank. But his last relief 
came too late. He had become an old man. His beloved wife, who had 
shared with him the weal and the woe of fortune for sixty-three years, had 
gone to her rest. She was a talented, brave, am! noble woman. Such a jusl 
provision for his comfort and delightful feeling of independence, had it, been 
made earlier in hi, life, when she was with him, would have been a real boon 
and a h]e-MiiM\ especially when he mused on his rugged acres and reflected that 
his cattle must be housed seven months of the year in that Siberian climate. 



17 



And here it may be well to remark, that after 181 G the pensions of the 
revolutionary soldiers added greatly to the length of their days, when- 
ever they were not shortened by accident or intemperance. This fact stands 
out upon their graves in bold relief. The cause of such longevity may be 
ascribed to the comfort and well-being of the mind, even where a small 
annuity dispels the anxiety of to-morrow's sustenance and keeps the wolf 
from the door. For nothing corrodes an honorable man like penury. It 
deprives him of his freedom ; he is a slave and a fugitive from happiness ; 
all hope is gone, — hope, the spirit of the soul ; he feels a chill on the life- 
blood of his heart, and he dies because he has no motive to live. So justly 
did the celebrated Junius once remark to a young man : " Let all your 
views in life be directed to a solid, however moderate independence. With- 
out it no man can be happy or even honest." But to conclude. 

He died in Bremen, after a short, but sharp sickness, under the watchful 
care of his widowed daughter, Mrs. Hinds, and her son Col. Samuel Tucker 
Hinds, March 10, 1833, aged 85 years and four months. He saw death, — 
the greatest of mysteries, — coming toward him like a spectre at whose ap- 
proach almost all men tremble ; and he looked him in the face with an eye 
undimmed by age and unblanched by fear, as he had often done when death 
hovered over him in the day of battle. A few hours before his departure, 
he said to his friend Denny McCobb, Esq., then collector of the port of 
Waldoborough, who stood in tears at his bed-side : — " "Well, general, I am 
about to pass away to that world, from which no traveller has returned. 
You are soon to follow me. I hope and trust, we shall meet there, where 
no pain nor sorrow will disturb us, and be happy in the smiles and favor of 
heaven. My trust is in Christ. Farewell." Gently and calmly he then 
breathed his last. 

The obsequies of this eminent naval officer were performed in a manner 
honorable to his character and evincing the love and respect of his neigh- 
bors. Though it was a bleak and stormy day, and the travelling exceedingly 
dreary and uncomfortable, hundreds came from a distance to attend his 
funeral and follow his remains to the grave in the Bremen cemetery, where 
they rest by the side of his wife. Only a simple slate-stone tells where he 
lies ; no marble nor monument honors the memory of this pioneer of the 
American navy. 

3 



THE NEW MASONIC TEMPLE. 




Among the cost- 
ly edifices which 
adorn the city of 
Boston is the New 
Masonic Tem- 
p L e, situated on 
Tremont & Boyl- 
ston streets. This 
magnificent struc- 
ture was erected 
by the Grand 
Lodge of Mas- 
sachusetts, on the 
site of the Free- 
mason's Hall, 
destroyed by fire 
in 18 04, and was 

dedicated June 24, 1867, under Chas. C. Dame, Esq., Grand Master, in 
presence of Andrew Johnson, president of the United States, the members 
of his cabinet, and a large assemblage of the fraternity. So rapidly and 
yet thoroughly was the new temple wrought, that it seemed like the fabled 
Phoenix to rise from its ashes. 

The first object which strikes the mind of the spectator is the splendid 
location and the surroundings of this fine edifice. Standing at a corner of a 



20 



rapacious sidewalk, where two wide and leading streets intersect each other, 
facing our beautiful Common, and upon a central spot of the business and 
travel of the public, this structure amidst the modern buildings around 
looms up in the architecture of a distant age. 

The front on Tremont street is about 90 feet in width and 80 in 
height to the coping beneath the roof. The style is Gothic of the 14th and 
loth centuries, modified in the ground story for commercial purposes. It is 
four stories to the Mansard roof which makes a fifth; and is divided into 
three sections : the central division is 2.3 feet wide, projecting a foot from 
the main body, the other two 33 feet. 

In the projection is a porch with a lofty entrance, over which are two 
large windows: the first a canopied window with a sharp gable opening on a 
balcony, and in the third story, an arched one. The sides are supported by 
massive and flying buttresses, reaching to the third story, between which on 
each side of the door, there is a niche filled by a symbolic pillar of Winooski 
marble, with sculptured emblems on the capital which is surmounted by a 
globe. The entrance is under a grand archway, and the vestibule with a 
marble flooring is tastefully finished, with a panelled and arched ceiling; 
and through this a wide flight of stairs leads to the second story. 

The window over the door in the third story is embellished with the 
Cross of Malta, having on each side one narrow and pointed. Rising 
on the left of the turret above the parapet stands a round towel'. 7 feet in 
diameter, and Hi in height, designating the flag or watch tower of a castle 
in the feudal times ; and on the right side there is a smaller square tower to 
preserve uniformity. Between these a gable extends from each tower, con- 
taining within it a rose window, terminating in a pinnacle. From the grand 
arch door between the buttresses to the gable tower and pinnacle, a grace- 
fulness and grandeur of expression set off the facade in a striking manner. 

At the extreme of the left division, a slender round tower, on account of 
symmetry, ascends to 1 ."» or 1 6 feet above the coping; and at the base of the 
column on which it rests appears the (Jate of the Temple. 

At the southern corner of the right hand division, a lofty turret springs 
from five arches upon six round pillars of an octagon, 9 feet in diameter 
on the ground floor, with buttresses at the angles. This majestic turret 
contains a balcony with windows from the coping to the top of the roof; 
then a smaller one above: and from thence, gradually narrowing, tapers to 



21 

a point 80 or 40 feet from the 4th story. At the base there is a door of the 
octagon, and also balconies with pointed windows in 2d and 3d story. The 
elevation of this turret so high above the whole building, with its arches, 
gables, finials, and niches for future statues, and adorned with rich tracery, 
makes it a prominent feature, unique and pleasing to the eye. 

The first story contains four large arched windows and doors on each 
side of the entrance ; that on the right opening on the Home Savings Bank. 
The 2d and 3d have six large pointed windows, and the fourth story twelve 
of narrower size ; the roof has also four small pointed windows. 

The facade on Eoylston street is about 100 feet in length, and with the 
windows and decorations well comports with the front. A small projection 
40 feet in width is walled up to the second story, having near the top of it 
four small semi-circular windows. In the third story there is one large 
window flanked with arched panels. The parapet is surmounted by 
pinnacles, and at the south-east corner a turret rises from the coping. Left 
of the middle section in the front story there are three large windows, and 
to the right of the section a door and two windows ; and all those in the other 
stories harmonize in their construction with the front of the building. 

The whole exterior exhibits a rich and picturesque model of media3val 
architecture, graceful in its proportions and highly ornamented ; yet it is 
unavoidably subjected to some deviations in the ground story, and especially 
by the introduction of changes and emblems peculiarly adapted to an ancient 
institution. Modern architecture requires many such innovations from 
the simple and wonderful beauty of the pure orders of antiquity ; yet this 
simplicity should never be lost. " Denique sit, quid vis, simplex duntaxat 
et unum." Neither the Parthenon on the Acropolis of Athens, nor the 
Temple of Jupiter or Theseus, if they could rise from their ruins, could 
accommodate an assembly of christian worshippers ; and therefore originat- 
ed the Gothic style ; such as the stately Trinity Church in Summer street. 
Yet there are some exceptions ; St. Paul's Church, on Tremont street, is a 
beautiful specimen of the Ionic order. 

The above is but a brief and meagre account. For a minute and 
elegant description of this building, with its gables, pinnacles, arches, finials, 
spandrils and tracery, the reader is referred to the " Dedication Memorial 
of .the New Masonic Temple in Boston, by William B. Stratton," and to 



22 



Moore's Freemason's Magazine, to which this brief outline owes many 
obligations. 

The material of the exterior is white granite from Concord, N. H., which, 
to a stranger standing a few rods off on the Common, presents the illusion 
of white marble. We now proceed to the interior. 

Landing on the wide corridor of the second story, you find on the left 
side the apartments of the Grand Master and Grand Secretary, which are 
frescoed, tinted and handsomely fitted up with furniture of black walnut and 
carpets. The secretary's room is capacious, in view of the Common, and 
supplied with two large and lofty book cases with glass doors, which, since 
the loss of the old library by fire, have been replenished by the aid of the 
brethren, and the indefatigable researches and liberality of Dr. Winslow 
Lewis, P. G. Master. He has already collected and catalogued live hun- 
dred volumes of rare and precious masonic works. On the same side are 
the coat-room and ante-room. 

On the right side of the corridor is the reception-room, facing Tremont 
street, with two small rooms adjacent. East of them is the Corinthian Hall, . 
where the Grand Lod^e holds its communications and the blue lodges confer 
their degrees. This splendid apartment is worthy of Solomon in all his 
glory. It is 40 feet by 70, and 22 feet in height, adorned with columns, 
pedestals, modillion cornices and coved ceiling, on which is portrayed a 
superb pictorial centre piece, etnblematical of the genius of Masonry, de- 
signed by Charles W. Moore, P. G. S., to whose taste the ornamentation of 
the building is much indebted. The hall is lighted by two massive chande- 
liers, and the furniture is of black walnut with chairs in green plush and costly 
Wilton carpets. A gorgeous altar, ornamented with sculptured devices of 
the Art, reflects the sacredness of the place; for Masonry is a religious insti- 
tution. Three cunningly carved chairs on a dais, the middle one of which, 
ornamented with two columnar supporters, is for the grand master — three 
canopies with masonic designs hanging over them, above which the rising sun 
is delineated on the ceiling; Ionic, Doric and Corinthian pillars of a perfect 
order before the stations of the three first officers in the east, west, and south ; 
the picture of the meridian sun, and the setting sun above the seats of the 
grand wardens ; the marble statues of Faith, Hope, Charity and Wisdom, 
placed on pedestals in niches at the four corners of the room, a gift of den. 
William Sutton, past S. (J. W. ; (lie four columns in the wesi serving as 



23 



an ornament to the hall and a screen before the organ ; a representation of 
Tacita, Goddess of Silence, an emblem worthy of a conspicuous place in the 
halls of congress ; four portraits in panels above the niches, viz. : of Wash- 
ington, Warren, Lafayette and Franklin ; four pictured seals, particularly 
that of Lord Viscount Montague, Grand Master of England, from whom, in 
1733, this Grand Lodge derived its charter to Henry Price its first G. M., — 
all these are among the ornaments, emblems and memorials, thus briefly 
grouped together in this outline of Corinthian Hall, where more than two 
hundred lodges are represented in the sessions as a masonic legislature. 

The Egyptian Hall, which with the Gothic above it is of similar 
dimensions with the Corinthian, is in the third story. It is a picturesque 
piece of architecture, and allures the eye by its novelty and elaborate finish, 
with massy columns surmounted by bell-shaped capitals on which are sculp- 
tured the palm-leaf, the lotos, and faces of Isis. The ceiling is blue, spark- 
ling with golden stars ; from the centre of which hangs a large chandelier 
of forty lights. Sculptures of various objects, and emblems in the Egyptian 
style predominate ; and two pillars in the east adorn the sides of the throne 
of the high priest, on which are inscribed some hieroglyphics, which, since 
the wonderful discovery of a key by Champollion, are found to be the letters 
used by the ancient priesthood of Egypt. A translation of this inscription 
accompanies them. The words are written in perpendicular lines, — such 
was the ancient Egyptian, and is the Chinese mode of writing. The 
inscription on these pillars is a copy from one on the obelisk of Luxor now 
standing in the Place de la Concord in Paris. The furniture and fittings 
of this hall are in character with the rest. 

A bird's eye glance must suffice to look at the halls of the three comman- 
deries — the Boston, De Molay and St. Bernard in the fourth story ; the two 
last of which are ornate with chivalric emblems and rich furniture. But 
the Gothic Hall, with its arched ceiling, foliated bosses, deep mouldings 
and columns ; its panels portraying the escutcheons of knighthood ; its pic- 
torial banners representing knights on horse-back or the cross of Palestine ; 
and the gallant form of the last commander of the Knights Templars, Jaques 
de Molay, on a conspicuous panel, must awaken sublime emotions in the 
bosom of the beholder, who is familiar with the history of the crusades, 
which, Hume says, " shook all Europe to its foundations." 

The Banquet Hall only remains to be noticed. It occupies the fifth 



24 



story, is well arranged and furnished for the accommodations of those 
crowded festal gatherings consecrated to the two holy St. Johns. 

Had space allowed, it would have been gratifying to have recurred to 
those, who gave their time, talents or credit to this great work ; but their 
names are written not only on the records, but on the hearts of the brethren. 
Already we see, in Corinthian Hall, the marble busts of Charles W. Moore 
and William Sutton ; and on the walls are hung the portraits of past Grand 
Masters, Winslow Lewis, John T. Heard, "William Parkman and Charles 
C. Dame ; also of past D. G. M. Marshall P. Wilder. 



I 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



011 699 662 5 



